Rattan Lal gets Glinka World Soil Prize

New Delhi, Dec 6 : Professor Rattan Lal, President of the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS), has been awarded The Glinka World Soil Prize 2018 for his contribution to sustainable soil management.

Prof Lal of the Ohio State University has been among the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds and among the top one percent of all researchers in agriculture. His scientific work has notably contributed to soil organic carbon restoration and improvement of soil structure but also played a major role in converting science into policy and decision-making. Prof Lal was born in Karyal, Punjab, which is now in Pakistan.

The Glinka World Soil Prize, named after the pioneering Russian scientist Konstantin D. Glinka, was established by the Global Soil Partnership with the support of the Russian Federation in 2016 and honours individuals and organisations whose leadership and activities have contributed to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources.

This year the Russian Federation has also approved the financial contribution of $2 million to support the activities of the Global Soil Partnership in its second phase (2018-2020). According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, about 33 per cent of all soils in the world are degraded, and the state of soils is deteriorating at an alarming rate.(UNI)